Depiro girls prevail in pre-season tournament

Depiro Pavi continued where they left off last season after winning the women’s pre-season tournament having the better of Honey Athleta in the final on Sunday.

Depiro, now coached by Gabriele Alesse and with new foreign player Joncelyn Peterkin in their ranks, won all games played and their top placing in this warm-up competition at the Pavilion was never in doubt.

This summer, Depiro lost Steffi Demartino to Luxol but Antoinette Borg returned after a season-long loan at Hibs.

After disposing of Athleta and Phoenix in the group stage, Depiro had the better of Luxol 31-24 in the semi-final.

Athleta, under the hands of Ruth Spiteri, were strengthened in the off-season by the arrival of various players from Loyola, most notable Emma Moore and Sammy Jo Barbara. They played the pre-season tournament without an overseas player though.

After claiming second spot in the group behind Depiro, Athleta went on to beat Hibs 30-16 in the other semi-final.

Matches consisted of two sessions of 15 minutes each with the clock stopping only for free-throws.

In the final, Depiro changed ends 9-1. Athleta improved after the interval but their efforts were not enough to trouble Depiro who held on for a 24-16 win.

Peterkin was the top-scorer with ten points while captain Leanne Sciberras potted nine points for the beaten finalists Athleta.